| 1 | 1 | | 81R3280 SGA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Edwards H.B. No. 2157 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the certification of benefits coordinators at state |
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| 8 | 8 | | agencies by the Employees Retirement System of Texas and related |
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| 9 | 9 | | reports. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 815, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | adding Subchapter G to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SUBCHAPTER G. CERTIFICATION TRAINING PROGRAM AND REPORTING |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 815.551. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) "Benefits coordinator" means an employee of a |
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| 16 | 16 | | state agency who has been designated by the agency as the person to: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (A) provide advice to employees of the agency on |
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| 18 | 18 | | benefits programs administered by the retirement system; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (B) act as an agency liaison to the retirement |
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| 20 | 20 | | system. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) "Exception" means a request for assistance |
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| 22 | 22 | | processed by the retirement system that a benefits coordinator was |
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| 23 | 23 | | unable to handle in a timely manner. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 815.552. CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR AGENCY BENEFITS |
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| 25 | 25 | | COORDINATORS. (a) The retirement system shall develop a |
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| 26 | 26 | | certification program that provides training for benefits |
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| 27 | 27 | | coordinators. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (b) The retirement system shall require a person who is a |
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| 29 | 29 | | benefits coordinator to be certified under the certification |
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| 30 | 30 | | program not later than the first anniversary of the date the person |
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| 31 | 31 | | was designated as the benefits coordinator. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (c) The retirement system shall develop a refresher course |
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| 33 | 33 | | to update the training of a certified benefits coordinator and |
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| 34 | 34 | | offer the course at appropriate intervals as determined by the |
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| 35 | 35 | | retirement system. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (d) The retirement system may charge a state agency for |
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| 37 | 37 | | training the agency's benefits coordinator in an amount not to |
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| 38 | 38 | | exceed the actual cost of providing the training. |
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| 39 | 39 | | Sec. 815.553. REPORT. Not later than June 1 of each year, |
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| 40 | 40 | | the retirement system shall provide to the board of trustees, the |
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| 41 | 41 | | governor, and the Legislative Budget Board a report covering the |
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| 42 | 42 | | preceding state fiscal year that includes: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (1) a list of state agencies that do not have a |
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| 44 | 44 | | benefits coordinator certified by the retirement system under the |
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| 45 | 45 | | program developed under Section 815.552; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (2) a list of state agencies that do not have dedicated |
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| 47 | 47 | | benefits staff; |
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| 48 | 48 | | (3) information related to providing support to the |
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| 49 | 49 | | agencies that do not have a certified benefits coordinator, |
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| 50 | 50 | | including: |
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| 51 | 51 | | (A) the costs incurred by the retirement system |
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| 52 | 52 | | associated with handling calls from those agencies; |
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| 53 | 53 | | (B) the number of exceptions the retirement |
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| 54 | 54 | | system processed for those agencies; and |
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| 55 | 55 | | (C) information about complaints received by the |
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| 56 | 56 | | retirement system from employees of those agencies; and |
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| 57 | 57 | | (4) suggested options for serving employees at small |
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| 58 | 58 | | agencies or agencies without dedicated benefits staff. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 2. (a) The Employees Retirement System of Texas |
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| 60 | 60 | | shall begin offering its certification program under Section |
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| 61 | 61 | | 815.552, Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than June |
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| 62 | 62 | | 1, 2010. |
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| 63 | 63 | | (b) The Employees Retirement System of Texas shall submit |
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| 64 | 64 | | the first report required by Section 815.553, Government Code, as |
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| 65 | 65 | | added by this Act, not later than June 1, 2010. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 67 | 67 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 68 | 68 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 69 | 69 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 70 | 70 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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